As judged by an independent study commission, anesthesia-related cardiac arrest occurred in 37 of 160 cardiac arrests within the 24-h perioperative period.

Fifty-one percent of academic anesthesiology chairs exhibit a high incidence/risk of burnout. Age, sex, time as a chair, hours worked, and perceived effectiveness were not associated with high burnout; however, low job satisfaction and reduced self-reported spousal/significant other support significantly increased the risk.

Previous studies have shown that obese surgical patients have a greater volume of acidic stomach contents than lean patients, despite a routine preoperative fast. We have reexamined this issue and found that among otherwise healthy, fasted, obese surgical patients, there is a lower incidence of combined high-volume, low-pH stomach contents compared with lean patients.